Joshua 1:8: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all this is written in it.”   I Corinthians 15:33: “Do not be deceived; Bad company ruins good morals.”  How do these two Scriptures interface to spiritually impact our lives?  You are today who you are based upon the decisions you have previously made in life.  And, who you will become in the future depends on the decisions you make today and in the future.  These decisions are primarily based on two things:  books and people.  As a Christian, the book should be God’s Word and the person should be Jesus Christ and close Christian friends and mentors.

The Bible:  Charles Spurgeon said, “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone whose life is not.”  In the Psalms, we read that a man can keep his way pure by guarding it according to God’s Word.  We are reminded in several verses in both the Old Testament and the New Testament that man is to not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.  We should read Christian books based on God’s Word, but we must never allow this to keep us from personally and quietly reading and meditating on God’s Word itself.  Do not think that just reading devotionals is all you need to do.  The answer to every issue we will ever face in life is found in God’s Word.  Build God’s Word into your heart and memorize His Word to face the times when you need an answer or guidance.

People:  The One Person who should impact your life more than any other is the Lord Jesus Christ and your personal relationship to Him.  He is our example, our role model, our answer and our Savior.  However, He did not put us here on earth to live as an island unto ourselves or to be Lone Rangers.  We have a purpose given by Him to impact the lives of others and His Kingdom.  He made us, so we need to go to Him to make our decisions in life.  Our best friends should be Christians and we all see how many times that people are led astray by the company they keep.  If you have children, you must carefully monitor their friends.  Yes, bad company ruins good morals.  Develop your most intimate relationship with Christ and carefully select your closest friends who have the same passion for Jesus that you do.

1. L. Moody: “The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.”